Nerima, the Tendō home (local time: 5:41 PM, Scotland time: 8:41 AM)…
"But Akane-chan…you MUST…"
"Must what, Tō-chan?"
"You MUST marry Ranma-kun…"
Akane blinked, and then she looked over her shoulder at her father, the annoyance in her eyes quite apparent to those who were quick to take note of it. Not only were all the Tendō daughters and their father were present in the living room today, but so were the Saotomes (including Kanami), Kunō Kodachi, Happōsai, and both Aruka Ran and Seq Rei. Everyone was enjoying their afternoon tea as Rei — currently in his ushitora form — happily munched down on a rather big salad a blushing Kasumi had been quick to make for him when he (in human form) had been brought to the home by Akane's new wife so that he didn't run loose in his attempts to locate his former fiancé (now aboard a certain space corvette in orbit over southern Ontario) and make a nuisance of himself.
Much to Nabiki's personal relief when it came to how easily women found themselves attracted to the very handsome Rei, Ran was taking Kasumi's fawning over the pilot in stride. Even more so, she got a serious kick out of seeing Nodoka give Rei a very interested look, which was making Genma — who was already pretty much put off his stride over the growing roadblocks towards "uniting the schools" with Akane now married under Urusian custom to Ran — shudder with indignant yet helpless rage as he watched what little control he had over his surroundings evaporate right before his eyes.
"How can I possibly marry a man who's already married, Tō-chan?" Akane then asked.
Sōun jolted, and then he flustered. "There's no problem, then! We don't recognise Ranma-kun's marriage to that Miyake girl, so…!"
"Then you have a problem, Otō-chan."
Sōun stopped as he turned to stare wide-eyed at Nabiki. "What…?"
A smirk. "You see, even though Ranma-kun is not of legal age, his mother here was always seen as the head of the family," the middle daughter explained as she waved to Nodoka in emphasis. "And she acknowledged the marriage between Ranma-kun and Shinobu-chan in her place as head of the Saotome family of Nerima, as did Shinobu-chan's father in his place as head of the Miyake family of Nishitōkyō. Said marriage was registered at the ward office in Nerima and the town office in Tomobiki. Furthermore, since Shinobu-chan is also a Canadian citizen, the marriage was registered with the Canadian embassy in Minato Ward. There's no way around for it for either you or Oji-chan here to try to have it nullified. Besides, Ranma-kun's now living in Canada with his wife and I don't see Oba-chan splurging any money to have her husband go to Canada to try to 'talk some sense' into his son." A smirk. "If he isn't arrested at the border for whatever petty crimes he may have done while he was travelling overseas, of course."
Genma awked. "Nabiki!" Sōun wailed. "You must do something…!"
"One hundred million yen."
Both fathers froze as they stared in shock at her. "One hundred…?" Sōun moaned.
"That's my going price for helping either of you make Ranma-kun see reason," Nabiki calmly stated. "And if you two try to press it, I'm sure the local police station will be VERY interested in learning about Oji-chan's connection to a possible case of 'child abuse' that was reported six years ago somewhere near Sendai."
Genma turned a very nice shade of grey on hearing that; that was when he had subjected Ranma to the Neko-ken training. "Oh, dear," Happōsai then crooned. "Poor Genma. All his plans for retirement just got flushed down the tubes. What will he do?"
The sisters, Nodoka and Ran all laughed on hearing that. "Well, husband, what will you do now?" Nodoka then mused as she glared at Genma. "If you had truly cared for your stupid pact with Sōun, you might have considered informing our son about your desires long before he even met Shinobu-chan. You knew all along that you possessed no mastery in the Art from Master Happōsai, so why do you believe you're a master of the Art?"
"But I am a master…!" Genma declared.
"Only thanks to a retired sensei in Nihon-kempō who took pity on you, Genma."
Genma gargled. "Master…"
"Is that true, Ojii-san?" Kasumi asked.
A nod. "Hai, my dear, it is. Negako-chan told me about this sometime after she freed me from the cave your father and his friend trapped me into ten years ago," Happōsai said as he gave his former students very ugly stares, which made both men cringe. "They tried to pass off their teachings as Musabetsu Kakutō, but all the major dōjō masters and the various modern martial arts associations all knew I had not granted either of them mastery in the Art, so they were never accepted as such. That's when they encountered this very nice fellow out in Itabashi who was about to close down his dōjō because he didn't have children to carry on his school. They were given masteries there." A chuckle. "But everyone KNOWS they're only certified as masters in Nihon-kempō! That's why no one's been willing to come take classes here, Kasumi-chan."
Kasumi hummed. "So in other words, I've been cleaning an empty hall that has not been properly certified for the Art it was designed to be used for. Nabiki-chan has been administering the taxes we pay out for part of the property that will NOT earn any sort of decent income for us. And Akane-chan has been DECEIVED all this time into believing she is the heir of the Tendō-ryū of Musabetsu Kakutô…"
"Which does NOT legally or morally EXIST!" Akane added as she glared at her father.
"That is correct, my dear," Happōsai stated.
"Well, it's a good thing that Master Happōsai — the ONLY certified master of Musabetsu Kakutō-ryū — came along to officially acknowledge both of us as students in his Art, eh, Akane-chan?" Kanami stated as she gazed knowingly at her friend.
A nod. "Hai. And Ranma-kun, too," Akane stated.
Genma harrumphed. "The boy doesn't…!"
SPLASH!
"GROWLF?!"
"Be silent, Genma," Nodoka stated after placing down the empty glass of water she had used to transform him into a panda. "Our son HAS a sister because I say she has a sister and Kanami-chan has proven beyond a shadow of a doubt that she is our daughter in spirit! Say anything more about this and I will have divorce papers prepared and then have you cast out of the family once and for all. And I KNOW your family will not take you back in and allow you to use their name, Genma, so you best behave if you wish to retain what little scrap of honour you have left in your possession!"
Genma jolted. "Actually, Nodoka, may I offer something?" Happōsai then asked.
Nodoka smiled. "Certainly, Master Happōsai."
"My thanks, my dear."
And in three seconds…
"Saotome-kun…" Sōun moaned.
"What did you do to him, Ojii-san?" Ran asked.
A chuckle. "Used an ancient technique I learned long ago," Happōsai stated as he puffed his pipe. Genma was now floating semi-conscious in the pond just beyond the front door, a point on his furry back smoking as the scene of burnt mugwort herb began to fill the living room. "It's an ultimate weakness version of moxibustion that should make him as weak as a kitten. A pity I don't remember how to undo it…"
Sōun cried out. "But Master…"
The aged grandmaster glared at him. "Care for a taste of it yourself?"
Instantly, the Tendō patriarch began to bow to the older man, moaning out apologies for making Happōsai angry at him. Watching this, all the other people — save Rei, who was still enjoying Kasumi's wonderful salad — could only shake their heads in digust. "And they actually got the courage once to bury Ojii-chan in the side of a mountain," Nabiki mused before sipping her tea. "So, what do we do now, Onē-chan?"
Kasumi sighed. "Well, first things first: Akane-chan, will you go take down the dōjō sign and destroy it, please?" she then stated, which made Sōun freeze in place as he turned to stare wide-eyed at her. "I refuse to live in a house that constantly displays such a lie like that!" She then turned to Happōsai. "Unless…"
"The Art already has a dōjō; it's on the Uchibori-dōri right next to the Chiyoda Ward Office just north of the Imperial Palace," Happōsai stated as Akane stood up and walked out of the room to do what her sister told her to do. "If you want to tear this dōjō down, Kasumi-chan, you can. I never approved of it in the first place."
Sōun croaked on hearing that. "So we can either tear it down or rebuild it into an extension to the house for Ran-chan to use," Nabiki then stated.
"WHAT?!" Sōun yelped.
"QUIET!" Happōsai barked, which made Sōun instantly duck.
"Well, why not, Otō-san?" Kasumi calmly stated. "Akane-chan IS married to Ran-chan, so they'll be expected to live together. And if Ran-chan is still willing to pursue Rei-san, of course, he'll be coming by to visit when he's not on space patrol."
"I can handle him when he's here," Ran promised.
"Oh, thank you, Ran-chan!" Kasumi said with a smile.
"Actually, since we're talking about my moving here full-time, let me see if I can persuade the Japanese government to let me park my ship on the ground," Ran then added. "It is designed to be used as a mobile home, so it should fit. I'll even be more than pleased to pay rent for the part of the property I'll be using once I make the necessary currency exchange arrangements with the Men In Black."
"Why thank you, Ran-chan!" Kasumi stated. "At least we'll have ONE guest that's willing to help earn her keep here! Unlike someone I know…" she then added with a noticeable frown as she glared outside to see Genma still floating unconscious in the pond just as Akane returned with the dōjō sign in hand.
Seeing that, Sōun gasped. "Akane-chan, no…!"
Akane ignored him as she handed the sign to Happōsai, who instantly snapped it in half. "There we go!" the grandmaster then said as he broke the sign into smaller pieces as Sōun watched teary-eyed from nearby. "One less lie to deal with."
The sisters, Nodoka, Kanami and Kodachi nodded as Sōun collapsed to the floor…
Later on (local time: 7:04 PM)…
"My, what a beautiful spaceship you have, Ran-chan!"
Ran blushed. "It was a gift from my legal guardian; she's actually Rei's mother, Seq Yedris, the leader of the Democratic Alliance of Uru," she stated before waving the Tendō sisters, Nodoka, Kanami, Kodachi and Happōsai aboard the rose-pink ship that was now parked beside the Tendō home on the spot where the dōjō building had been; the grandmaster had taken down the structure (after all personal effects such as the ashes of the sisters' late mother, Tendō Kimiko, had been removed) with one of his Happō-daikarin ki-charged grenade bombs. That, of course, had driven poor Sōun into a near-coma; he and the still-dazed Genma (as panda) had been left on the porch of the main house beside the go board they normally relaxed at when they weren't eating or drinking. Rei himself had been called up into space to report aboard the Kashin so Lum's father could give him a dressing down for leaving his border post like he did. "Fortunately for me, Aunt Yedris is willing to give me an allowance while I'm here."
"Must be some allowance," Nabiki mused as they walked onto the ship's quarterdeck, then ascended another set of stairs to walk into the living room. Once the proper arrangements with the Men In Black had been made and her visa as a permanent alien resident in Japan had been granted, Ran had been able to convert her current monthly allowance (which practically equalled the average pay for a senior salaryman here in Japan) into yen so that she could pay the land rental fee to the Tendō family (as handled by Nabiki) for her use of part of the property. Of course, Ran herself was quite well-to-do in her own right; as the orphaned daughter and only child of a senior government leader on Uru, General Aruka Mamoko, she also had an inheritance coming to her when she became of age (which, like Japan, was seen as 20 years old). Until that time, Rei's mother (quite a wealthy woman in her own right) would support her as she was a very intelligent interplanetary investor as well as the Matriarch of House Seq.
"Well, it may seem excessive compared to what you people earn, but you have to admit, my personal demands are a lot different than what yours might be. Once you all get out into space, that'll change for sure," Ran stated as she went to her kitchenette to prepare tea and snacks for everyone. "Have any of you plans for when the E.D.F. is officially unveiled and colonisation begins in earnest?"
"Businesses are going to expand no matter what, especially since in the Great Colony Scramble, Japan was given colonisation rights to Pacifica alongside South Korea (with North Korea hopefully soon to follow), Taiwan and Mongolia," Nabiki noted. "By the time I graduate from university, they'll be needing businesspeople by the ship-load."
Nodoka hummed. "Which planet is Pacifica?"
"It's about fifty light years from here, heading in-spin towards Dominos, the home planet of the Seifukusu Dominion," Nabiki replied. "Same size as Earth; it's in a solar system with a bright white-blue star, class F5V. The star itself was named 'Aoten' when the exploration team looked over the place two years ago; that's what my friend Momoe once told me." She then hummed. "Ten planets with two asteroid belts and two Jupiter-sized worlds that can take in any asteroids or comets that might come crashing on Pacifica when you don't want them. It's a world with four seasons, mild winters and summers. Very big seas with two large continents and a smaller one, so there's enough land available for cultivation. Nothing really dangerous, but there is animal life there. Not that much higher than reptiles, birds and low-order mammals."
"What about any old Seifukusu colony?" Ran asked.
A shake of the head. "They moved out about three years ago. Only person living there full-time now is the synthezoid that's been guarding the place since she was found by the Dominion decades ago. Same type of being as Shogai Dakejinzō, so I heard."
The Seishin-Urusian teenager nodded. "Well, by the looks of it, you people are finally on your way into the stars," she mused. "Speaking personally, I say it's about time, too. There are some folks in this galaxy that don't want you to leave this system."
"Like who?" Happōsai asked.
"Oh, the Imperials like Rei's uncle and his friends," Ran said, a snort escaping her. "They wanted just to invade Earth and get it over with. Enslave your people, seize what technology the Avalonians took from Ōgi's planet of morons and go conquer the galaxy." A snort. "If the rest of the galaxy would let them get away with it, of course. If that ever happened, we'd be at war with Noukiios and Ipraedos in an instant. Sure bet that a lot of Federation worlds would join in, too."
"Are these Imperials dangerous?" Kasumi asked. "If Rei-san's uncle is one…"
"They can be," Ran warned. "But even if they hold key places in government, they know they're being watched by both the Unionists — the people who rather like our current system of government — and the Democratic Reformists as well. One big step and they're relieved of their posts right then and there." She made a dismissive wave of her hand. "While I think Lum's marriage to Tariko will help out, I doubt the hard-core Imperials will ever let go of their dream to restore their old Empire back."
Happōsai chuckled. "Don't be surprised, dear. People like that sometimes need a damned bomb dropped on their head to make them change their minds. Even then, you're not guaranteed you'll succeed." A sigh. "Are you protected here?"
Ran tensed. "What do you mean?"
"My former students," the grandmaster stated. "In a way, they're as damned stubborn as you just indicated Rei's uncle is, Ran-chan. They won't like the idea of you living here, being married to Akane and taking up space for the dōjō they hoped to start up."
The alien woman then smirked. "Ojii-san, if those idiots try anything, they'll be the ones who'll be in for a very rude surprise." She then hummed before gazing at Kanami. "But seeing that your father's staying here now, why can't you drag him home?"
"Genma is currently exiled from home for the time being because he refuses to accept the truth of what Kanami represents, much less what's happened to Ranma," Nodoka stated. "I've already laid some ki traps at my home in case he tries to push it; I learned some things thanks to friends down in Kyōto. After feeling sorry for myself for giving in to Genma's wishes like that, I decided I wasn't going to sit back and wait for him to return home as he expected I'd do while he was gone with my child."
"Well, at least you have something of your child with you now, Oba-san," Kasumi stated. "In the meantime, tonight is Akane-chan's and Ran-chan's wedding night, so I suggest we head back to our homes and grant them a little privacy."
"Oh, indeed we must," Happōsai said with a delighted cackle as he gazed knowingly at the newlywed couple. "Have fun, you two."
Ran chuckled as Akane's cheeks turned very red on hearing that while we now…
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(Posted Sat, 29 Jan 2011 00:17)
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らんま1/2 © Rumiko Takahashi
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